MERS situation update: March 2024

The aim of this situation update is to provide the epidemiological status of MERS in the Region in order to aid better planning, coordination and response. The information in this document has been reported to WHO by Ministries of Health. For further information, contact: Tel + 20-2-22765492, Fax + 20-2-2765456 E-mail: emrgohspoutbreak@who Published by World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Monazamet El Seha El Alamia Str,Extension of Abdel Razak El Sanhouri Street P.O. Box 7608, Nasr City Cairo 11371, Egypt www.emro.who.int © World Health Organization 2024 MERS SITUATION UPDATE March 2024 Document number: WHO-EM/CSR/741/E Fig. 5. Age and fatality distribution of primary and secondary cases of MERS reported from Saudi Arabia, June 2012 – March 2024 00-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90&> 90 % Ag e Gr ou p Survived Died Primary Secondary 2025 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Fig. 3. MERS cases per week of onset in Saudi Arabia, June 2012 – March 2024 Survived Died 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 N um be r o f M ER S ca se s Epi week HIGHLIGHTS From April 2012 to date, 2610 laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were reported globally, with 940 associated deaths at a case-fatality ratio (CFR) of 36%. The majority of these cases were reported from Saudi Arabia, with 2201 cases and 859 related deaths (CFR: 39%). During the month of March 2024, no new cases were reported. The demographic and epidemiological characteristics of reported cases do not show any significant differences when compared with the same corresponding period between 2016 and 2024. Among primary cases, 50–59 year-olds are at the highest risk for acquiring infection and among secondary cases the 30–39 year-olds are at the highest risk. Among both primary and secondary cases, CFR is higher within the age group of 70–79 years-old. . . . . SUMMARY 2610 Laboratory-confirmed cases reported since April 2012 940 Deaths reported since April 2012 27 Countries reported cases globally 12 Countries reported cases since April 2012 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region 0 Newly reported cases Table. 3. Characteristics of MERS cases reported from Saudi Arabia, June 2012 - March 2024 Type of case Grand Total Primary Secondary Unknown 2012 4 1 0 5 2013 71 91 0 162 2014 292 371 0 663 2015 234 219 0 453 2016 163 85 0 248 2017 148 88 0 236 2018 102 39 0 141 2019 128 77 0 205 2020 49 10 0 59 2021 18 0 0 18 2023 5 0 0 5 2024 1 0 0 1 2022 5 0 0 5 Grand Total 1220 981 0 2201 Survived2024 Died January February March Total 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Table. 1. Number of MERS cases in the Easter Mediterranean Region by month and outcome in 2024 Fig. 2. Community versus hospital acquired MERS cases in Eastern Mediterranean Region, January 2014 – March 2024 Community acquired Hospital acquired 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 N um be r o f c as es Year Fig. 4. Cases of MERS in healthcare workers reported from Saudi Arabia, January 2013 – March 2024 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 N um be r o f c as es Month HCW Table. 2. Epidemiological characteristics of MERS cases reported globally between October 2018 – March 2019 and October 2023 – March 2024 Characteristic Number Median age in years Gender (% male) % of Primary Cases % of Secondary cases (%) of Unknown Contact History % of HCW % Fatal Oct 18 - Mar 19 147 51 78 52 48 0 14 24 Oct 19 - Mar 20 96 55 79 80 20 0 10 28 Oct 20 - Mar 21 14 52 79 86 14 0 15 43 Oct 21 - Mar 22 8 55 100 100 0 0 0 50 Oct 22 - Mar 23 4 72 100 75 0 25 0 50 Oct 23 - Mar 24 2 49 100 100 0 0 0 100 Fig. 1. Distribution of MERS reported cases from Eastern Mediterranean Region by week of onset, June 2012 – March 2024 Tunisia United Arab Emirates Bahrain Egypt Iran (Islamic republic of) Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Yemen Saudi Arabia 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 N um be r o f c as es Epi week GLOBAL AND REGIONAL CASES KSA CASES **Disclaimer: Data are subject to change over time due to lag in reporting. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 22 32 42 52 10 20 30 40 50 8 18 28 38 48 6 16 26 36 46 3 13 23 33 43 1 11 21 31 41 51 9 19 29 39 49 7 17 27 37 47 5 15 25 35 45 2 12 22 32 42 52 10 20 30 40 50 8 18 28 38 48 6 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 11 20 29 38 47 4 13 22 31 40 49 6 15 24 33 42 51 8 17 26 35 44 53 9 18 27 36 45 2 11 20 29 38 47 4 13 22 31 40 49 6 15 24 33 42 51 8 17 26 35 44 53 9 18 27 36 45 2 11 20 29 38 47 4 13 22 31 40 49 6 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024